Only One State Ranked Worse Than Louisiana in 2025

(KPEL-FM) - There are a lot of good qualities to our great home state of Louisiana. The people are friendly, the food is great, and the parties are there to be had.

And then there's the flip side. You know, the somewhat "important" stuff that we don't always rank the highest in. The latter is illustrated in a new report.

The personal finance website WalletHub has just released its report on 2025's Best States to Live In, and the Bayou State didn't rank too high.

Get our free mobile app

WalletHub compared the 50 states across 51 key indicators of livability. Those range from housing costs and income growth to the education rate and quality of hospitals.

Louisiana ranked 49th overall. Yes, kids, that's second-to-last.

READ MORE: Louisiana Tops Nation With Highest Sales Tax in 2025

Why did we rank so poorly? Let's show you how Louisiana ranks in some of those key metrics:

• 25th - Homeownership Rate
• 27th - Restaurants per Capita
• 29th - % of Insured Population
• 30th - Housing Costs
• 41st - Income Growth
• 46th - % of Adults in Fair or Poor Health
• 47th - Avg. Weekly Work Hours
• 49th - % of Population in Poverty

On the flip side, here are the Top 5 States to Live In, according to the WalletHub report:

1. Massachusetts
2. Idaho
3. New Jersey
4. Wisconsin
5. Minnesota

“When deciding on a place to move, you should first consider financial factors like the cost of living, housing prices, and job availability. Many states have strong economies, though, so you should also consider a wide variety of other factors, such as how where you live will impact your health and safety, and whether you will have adequate access to activities that you enjoy. If you have children, a robust education system is also key.” -- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst